Since multi-media are rapidly developed, the standard of users' requirements for peripheral audio and video devices is getting higher and higher. Because of the oversized volume, CRT(Cathode Ray Tube)-type display devices used to be popular can no longer meet the requirements in the current age of focusing on lightness, thinness, shortness and smallness. Hence, many technologies regarding flat panel displays have been developed subsequently, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a PDP and a field emission display (FED), which have been gradually become the mainstream of future display devices, wherein the PDP used as a full-color display device has received great attention due to its large display area, particularly for the application on big-sized TVs or outdoor bulletins. The reasons why the PDP is so popular are that: the PDP has the display capability of high image quality, which is resulted from the light-emitting style of wide view angle and the high-speed response. Further, the process for manufacturing the PDP is relatively simple and suitable for use in big-sized display devices.
In a color PDP, gas discharge is used to generate ultraviolet (LTV) ray to excite phosphors to emit visible light, thereby achieving the display effect. According the discharge mode of the PDP, the color PDP can be briefly divided into an AC type and a DC type. In an AC-typed PDP, there is a passivation layer covering an electrode, so that the AC-typed PDP has relatively long operation life and relatively high display brightness. Hence, with regard to the display effect, the luminance efficiency and the operation life, the AC-typed PDP is generally superior to a DC-typed PDP.
Generally, the structure of three electrodes is used in the AC-typed PDP, including a common electrode, a scan electrode and an address electrode. FIG. 1 is a schematic top view showing the front panel structure of a general PDP. Referring to FIG. 1, the front panel structure is mostly formed in a top substrate located on one side of the image display, including an electrode 10 and an electrode 12 which are opposite to each other in structure, wherein one of the electrodes is a scan electrode and the other is a common electrode. Both of the electrode 10 and the electrode 12 are composed of a transparent electrode 14 and a bus electrode 16, wherein the transparent electrode 14 is generally made of transparent electrode material, such as indium tin oxide (ITO; a mixture of indium oxide and tin oxide), used for allowing visible light to pass through. Also, in comparison with metal, the transparent electrode 14 has lower electrical conductivity, and thus the bus electrode 16 which is narrow and has excellent electrical conductivity has to be added to the transparent electrode 14, so as to increase the overall electrical conductivity, wherein the bus electrode 16 can be made of the material such as black silver or white silver.
An emitting cell 20 is a division formed by using separation walls 24 in the structure of bottom substrate, wherein the area enclosed by the separation walls 24 forms the emitting cell 20, such as the square area enclosed by dashed lines shown in FIG. 1. Further, the bus electrode 16 crosses over each of the emitting cells 20 arranged in a row, and is connected to a signal-supplying device (not shown), thereby controlling the gas discharge of a specific emitting cell. A discharge center 22 of each emitting center 20 is located between two transparent electrodes 14, such as the circular area enclosed by dashed lines shown in FIG. 1. In the area between the emitting cells 20 of different rows, a black-line structure 18 is generally formed for blocking the light therebelow.
When a voltage is applied to the specific cell, the potential between electrodes will form an electric field, thereby accelerating the charged particles of the gas mixture sealed in the emitting cell, and the charged particles also collide with neutral particles so as form more electrons and ions for generating vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) light. Then, the VUV light is used to excite phosphors existing in the emitting cell, so as to enable the phosphors of three colors, red (R); green (G); and blue (B), to generate visible light for further displaying an image.